Shadow's Call
by vendetta543
Summary: Louise didn't know what to expect when she attempted the summoning ritual, but it certainly didn't involve being trapped in a world where man met magic and machine. Between the Dragons, Corporations and immortal Elves, finding a way back home would be the least of her worries.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a bit of a break from writing Twisted Reflections. Hopefully the lore is correct.**

* * *

It was supposed to be a simple job.

Granted that was false hope in this profession. To anyone but newbie runners the phrase 'should be a milk run' was often taken with a large grain of nutrisoy - Anyone who survived long enough to be considered an actual runner knew that it was never just a milk run. Expecting things to go according to plan was the first, and often last, mistake that would-be runners committed.

Adapt and overcome; that described the life of a Runner in a nutshell. Anyone who'd been in the 'business' long enough learned to never trust their Mr. Johnson's completely or to expect unforeseen circumstances in every run. If you were told that security would be light, pack extra firepower just in case. If a Johnson tells you the specific company he's working for, then he's clearly lying. Lies upon lies upon lies; trust never came easy in this line of work, if it ever came at all.

Robin had only been a runner for a scant few weeks, but these 'cardinal rules' had already been ingrained in her. She didn't have a specific Fixer she kept in contact with or a crew to run with, so she had to trust her instincts when picking her jobs. All this time she'd taken simple assignments - A quick package drop-off, scaring off some rowdy kids (the drones helped) or even escorting the occasional businessman who'd gotten stuck in the barrens without a taxi - The jobs that most self-respecting runners considered 'beneath' them.

It wasn't glamorous, but it put the meat substitutes on her table. She had been lucky enough to find refuge in the Seamstress Union - God only knew that she could barely afford to stay at coffin motels with the money she was making right now and Mrs. Kubota's generosity ensured that she wasn't merely breaking even with every job.

This was her first foray into an actual corporate-affiliated run...well, her employers worked in a relatively high step in the corporation's ladder, but she counted it all the same.

A quick snatch and grab. Her clients were a husband and wife, both working in middle management at Renraku - She was pretty sure that was simply a cover for something else but she'd never heard of Johnson's coming together in pairs, so the the frag knew. Regardless she was hired to...'recover' a young human male by the name of Henry Jamison. The Johnson's claimed to be his parents and that they wanted their son back, though she was pretty sure that was a load of drek.

Still, a job was a job, and this one actually went to four digits so she wasn't in any rush to refuse it.

Supposedly their 'son' had found religion and acceptance with the Universal Brotherhood but had recently changed his mind. When he had tried to leave the UB had detained him and they weren't about to take that lying down hence her current assignment. Her clients had told her that he would come willingly and that there would have been no need for excessive force.

So of course she brought a tazer with her when the guy would inevitably resist.

She wasn't stupid; while she couldn't exactly figure out how the Universal Brotherhood fit into this she was pretty fragging sure that her clients weren't concerned parents. He was likely a former corp worker who blew the whistle. Why they bothered with the family sob story she had no idea, but a payday was a payday. She'd get this done easy and then she'd be able to actually afford some decent alcohol or a new drone.

Or at least that's what she thought.

Sneak in through the back entrance, taze the guy, grab him and then meet his 'parents' in the agreed upon location. Despite rumors to the contrary Johnson's rarely ever betrayed their runners - No one wanted to work for a known backstabber, after all.

Simple enough, right?

"Frag, frag, frag!"

Of course not.

The young Japanese woman ran through the sterile halls of the Brotherhood's chapter house, her drones barely catching up to her. All around her she could hear the screams of the would-be acolytes of the order interspersed between the screeching wails of the insect spirits. Well, at least now she knew that not everyone in this damn place had drek for brains.

"Lockdown initiated. Lockdown initiated."

The doors around her began to seal shut. Robin's eyes widened from beneath her goggles and she quickly doubled back as the doors to the exit sealed themselves.

"Drek, which way...?" She looked at the split in the hallway and went left. Already she could hear the shivering sound of the inspect spirit's many legs running to catch up to her, "Vector, go!" She sent her first drone back and rushed through the double doors at the end of the hall. It wouldn't be able to hold them for long but she didn't have much of a choice.

"Where the frag am I?" She looked around the room quickly. An auditorium of some kind, or at least that's what she could assume given the chairs and podium bolted to the front. These types of places always had a backstage of some kind; that would be her ticket out.

She bolted through the curtains and came face-to-face with the concrete wall at the end, "Of course..." She smacked her first against the wall in frustration. Any normal building would have a back exit, but this was the fragging Universal Brotherhood; clearly sanity wasn't high on their list of priorities. She briefly considered doubling back before the piercing shriek of the insect spirit echoed through the large room.

She was trapped.

"If only I had my deck with me..." She stared at the terminal ruefully; the damn thing was practically mocking her. She had to leave her deck behind when the insect spirits had been summoned and she didn't fancy her chances of survival in going back to retrieve it. She bit her lower lip and drew her SMG, aiming it in front of her. She knew it was pointless - insect spirits couldn't be killed with conventional weaponry - but she sure as hell wasn't going to give them an easy meal.

She should have known something was fishy about this job, but how in the frag was she supposed to know that Henry Jamison was monitoring the Universal Brotherhood and their involvement with the insect spirits?

She'd walked right into a fragging ritual to summon the damn things. Jamison was dead...or, more accurately, one of those fragging spirits was using his body as it's new skin. She could definitely consider the job a colossal fragging failure, but she'd be lucky if she could escape with her life rather than simply suffering a blow to her nonexistent reputation.

And then everything went to drek. The 'Queen' was found lacking and the spirits began rampaging, attacking anyone and anything that crossed their paths. If she'd stayed at the safehouse tonight then she'd have been safe and the news would explain away the events of the chapterhouse as a gas leak or some other drek. She would have shrugged and moved on, living to fight another day.

Her hands began to shake as the shambling footsteps drew closer. She took a deep breath and forced herself to keep calm. A part of her - a part that was growing larger with every second that passed - was tempted to turn the gun on herself and blow her own brains out. At least then it would be quick and clean; she wouldn't have to worry about being cocooned and slowly eaten alive like a fly in a spider web.

Just as she began to turn the gun on herself she was startled by what sounded like a large burst of static. She stepped back and pointed her gun at the large green portal that was now covering a large chunk of the wall, "More fragging inspect spirits!? Come the frag on!" She stepped back until she felt her back bump into the wall. Great so she was stuck between hungry inspect spirits on one side and more hungry inspect spirits on the other.

This wasn't exactly how she'd imagined going out.

But to her surprise it wasn't more inspect spirits that had come out of the portal, but a human. Her eyes widened as the 'doorway' spat out a pink haired girl wearing what appeared to be a uniform of some kind before suddenly closing again. She stared down in confusion at the moaning figure before another screech nearly sent her barreling to the floor.

Now wasn't the time to be gawking.

"Hey, come on!" She grabbed the girl by her arm and tried to lift her up. She had no fragging clue what was going on here, but she was pretty sure little girls getting ejected from portals wasn't what one could consider normal...though she supposed that at this point 'normal' had left long ago.

"Wh-What?" The younger girl looked up at her through dizzy eyes. Robin barely took note of the pink irises that stared up at her; must have been customized cybereyes.

"Get up!" She pulled her up roughly, ignoring her squeak of pain, "You just teleported in here, right!? So open that portal again and lets go!" She shook her roughly. Teleportation was impossible even with all the advancements of magic, but she knew what she saw - Barring her remaining drone she had been utterly alone, and yet this girl had somehow gotten here through what looked like a portal.

"I-I don't-"

Too late.

Robin tackled the student forward and barely avoided the scraping pincers of the inspect spirit charging at them. Her drone wasn't as lucky, however; it could only manage a pathetic whir as the pincer stabbed through it like tinfoil. Robing grit her teeth and unloaded her gun on the monster's underside - It reeled back briefly, letting out a small screech of pain, giving her a chance to get back on her feet.

Louise's eyes widened and she let out a loud scream. The...thing in front of her turned its multiple eyes to stare at her, its mouth dripping some sickly green fluid. Her hands shook and she almost let go of her wand in her fear. The woman was yelling something at her and the...gun (if she could even call it that) continued to fire bullets at a far too fast pace.

What in helheim was going on!?

"I'm running out of ammo!" Robin yelled. She saw Louise looking up at her, her mouth hanging open dimly. The Decker clicked her tongue in frustration and let out another burst with her machine pistol. The younger girl scrambled back, pointing her wand - or at least that's what she assumed it was supposed to be - at the spiritual horror, "Are you going to use that thing or what- Ahhh!"

Robin''s scream of pain nearly caused Louise to faint altogether. She saw the creature tackle the older woman to the ground, its maw opening wide enough to swallow her head. Louise tightened her hold on her wand and did the first thing that came to mind.

"Fireball!"

One second death was staring Robin in the face, and the next she found herself being crushed by the massive weight of the insect spirit's dead husk, "Ugh..." Letting out a groan she pushed and kicked the grotesque corpse out of the way and grabbed for her machine pistol once more. It was only a temporary reprieve; soon the insect spirit would recover and then they would be doomed.

Nothing. Warily she walked closer to the husk and kicked it, "What the frag...?" Her brows knotted together worriedly. This...wasn't normal. They'd destroyed the body but the spirit should have been eager to eat them regardless. Not that she wanted to be eaten, but this was getting even weirder - First teleporting schoolgirls and now magic that sent these fragging spirits back to where they came from with one hit?

She shook her head. Whatever, she wasn't going to question it now.

Turning back to Louise she found her still staring in fear at the dead husk, her hold on her wand shaky. Robin knelt in front of her, "I don't know what you just did but I think you're the only way we can make it out of here." She waited a moment but she didn't reply, "Look, I have no idea where you came from but if we stay here any longer we're going to be insect food. Do you want that?"

"N-No..." Her voice was soft. Robin barely heard her, "Wh-What...were those things...?"

"Spirits, and not the good kind." Louise blinked. That...wasn't much of an explanation, "Look, I'll give you the whole fragging history on these things once we get out of here but now's really not the time to talk." As if to emphasize her point the lights began to dim. They didn't have much time, "Listen, whatever it is you just did killed those things...and I mean actually killed those things. If you wanna make it out of here we need more of that."

"U-Uh...I should still have some willpower left..." She mumbled.

"Right, I'll take what I can get." She stood up and pulled the younger girl to her feet, "Come on, we need to get out of here. Stay behind me."

Her theory had been proven correct: The insect spirits they had ran into were killed just as easily as the one who came after them in the auditorium. It was slow going, especially since her companion seemed to be having a panic attack (not that she could blame her), but eventually they'd both made it to the entrance.

She looked back at the Mage worriedly. She was wobbling on her feet and her gaze was unfocused, "Hey, you okay?" She snapped her fingers, but the girl could only blink slowly in response. Whether it was due to the fatigue of spellcasting or trauma from what she was seeing it was clear that the teenager couldn't hold on much longer. They had to get out of here now.

"Come on, come on..." She turned over the corpse of one of the 'Fathers' and rummaged through his pockets. He had to have a keycard or something- Got it. She allowed herself a smile and swiped the card at the terminal next to the door. She cracked her fingers and focused on the screen; overriding the lockdown would take a while but after this they would be home free.

She was halfway through the crack before another scream caused a chill to run up her spine. She turned her head back and cursed as she saw a particularly large spirit bounding over to them, its carapace slathered with a disgusting mixture of viscera and blood. Through the blaring sights she could make out Jamison's face, stretched unnaturally long, staring back at her from its place on the insect's front.

"Of course it's him..." She looked back at Louise. The Mage was pointing her wand at the large monster, but no spell came, "Hey, kid, you might wanna cast a spell!" She ducked under the acid it had spit at them. Louise let out a weak yell as she fell on the ground, "Hey, cast a spell now or we're both spider chow!"

Louise clenched her fists and focused the last of her willpower, "Fireball!"

Robin looked away from the explosion, ignoring the sounds of squelching flesh as the husk was blown apart. She saw Louise fall on her back, her eyes closed, "Good job, kid..." She turned back to the console and, after another minute, let out a sigh of relief as the metallic doors were finally pried apart.

She was already halfway out the door when she turned to look back at Louise. The girl was unconscious, her breath shallow. It was only because of her that she could make it out of here and she owed it to her to get her out of her. But...taking an unconscious person with her would only slow her down. Lone Star would be arriving at the scene soon enough along with any clean-up crews and they'd shoot first ask questions never.

"..Ah, frag it..." She turned back and took the small girl in her arms. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't an ungrateful drekhead.

In her rush she didn't notice the camera focusing on them until she finally disappeared out of sight.

* * *

Swimming back to consciousness, Louise let out a pained moan as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Her head was ringing and more than anything she felt vomiting out her breakfast, but at least her nightmare was over, "Ugh...what a horrible dream..." She sat up on the bed and placed both palms against her face. She knew that she was worried about the Familiar summoning, but what could cause her to have such nightmarish visions?

It was only after she saw that the bed wasn't hers that she quickly realized it wasn't a dream.

"What? No, no, no, no, no!" She looked around frantically, her breathing panicked. Upon closer inspection the bed was clearly not hers, being nothing more than a dull mattress atop a dingy silver frame. The rest of the room was just as unfamiliar, made up of metallic structures and furniture that was of a design that she'd never seen before.

This definitely wasn't a dream.

"Where...Where am I?" She swung her legs over the edge and shivered as her bare feet made contact with the metal floorboards. She took deep, calming breaths and tried to stop herself from panicking. Alright, so the previous events weren't a dream and she was in this alien place surrounded by giant monsters...Brimir take her, she was panicking again. She leaned against the wall and breathed rapidly.

Her wand..where was her wand? She turned back to the bed and felt a small hint of relief as she saw her foci half-covered by the blankets. She grabbed it and pressed it against herself as if her life depended on it.

"H-Hello?" She called out weakly.

No one answered, though she could hear faint sounds from behind the curtains of the room's exit. Swallowing nervously she slowly walked towards the cloth barriers, her wand aimed in front of her and ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.

"You brought her _here_? What were you thinking?" The voice was cold and soft, but undoubtedly masculine.

"Well where else was I supposed to take her? Leaving her out on the streets is practically a death sentence!" There was a voice she recognized; her impromptu guide through the nightmarish landscape of...whatever in Helheim that was.

"I would expect you to know not to bring civilians to a Runner safehouse."

"There was nowhere else I could take her! Lone Star and Universal Brotherhood goons were hounding us and if I left her behind I might as well have shot her myself!"

"And your solution was to bring her here? Do you see how old she is? She's a _child_. Putting her here is just as risky."

"Child or not she's the only reason I made it out of there! Look, I'll get her SIN and take her back to her family when she wakes up but until then stop being a fragging drekhead, Strelok."

"You wouldn't have gotten her involved if you actually bothered to screen your damn runs-"

"Stop acting like my fragging dad, dandelion eater. Look, if you want to kick her out so bad talk to Mrs. Kubota - She agreed to house her here and last I checked she was the the one who owns this place, not you. So back the hell off."

The arguing continued. Louise continued her hesitant walk to the curtains before pulling them back slowly.

She noticed her 'partner' immediately - Long black hair and some kind of light blue see-through glasses (?) covering her eyes. Her attire was an odd mix of black and blue, the material she could assume to be some kind of leather given its appearance. She probably wasn't that much older than her - In fact she looked to be close in age to Big sis Catt.

The person she was arguing with was different. Pale blonde hair cut short with some kind of 'hole' at the side of his head that appeared to be made of metal. His entire body was covered in a gray longcoat, gloves and other fabrics that hid his flesh from view. Contrasting to her previous 'ally' she couldn't really tell his age - His gaze was harsh but the rest of his features were soft.

Oh, and he had sharp pointed ears.

Louise wanted to be quiet, she really did. She wanted to keep calm and not draw attention to herself.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

But that was really damn hard when she was a few feet away from the devil.

The woman jumped at the sudden scream and turned to face her, one arm already pointing what appeared to be some oddly designed flintlock at her. The Elf was more calm, only raising an eyebrow at her loud intrusion.

Louise gripped her wand with both hands and aimed it at him, trying to stop herself from shaking. The Elf raised another eyebrow at the 'threat' before letting out an annoyed breath, "...What exactly do you plan to do with that?" His voice was soft, devoid of any emotion, "Last I checked I didn't do anything to you and I think I would remember running into pink haired schoolgirls."

"Y-Y-You're an Elf!" Her voice raised a pitch higher.

"Figured that out all on your own, did you?" He rolled his eyes, "Look, if you're going to attack me just because I'm an Elf then could you not act so scared? I didn't file my teeth into pincers or anything."

"Hey, kid, you alright?" The woman holstered her pistol and raised her hands in a calming gesture, "Look, what's the problem? Strelok's a dick but he's not going to attack you for no reason so why don't you just put the wand down before anyone gets hurt?"

"B-B-But he's an Elf!" She replied frantically, "How are you even talking to him!? He's a demon!"

"Huh...that's new." Strelok scoffed, "Been called dandelion eater a lot, but that's the first time someone ever called me the devil." His gaze shifted to the Japanese woman, "You sure know how to pick them, huh, Robin? First you get involved with insect spirits on your first real shadowrun and now you're bringing back delusional schoolgirls. You plan to make a deal with a dragon next?"

"Shut up." She punched his side, ignoring the dull metallic cover that met her fist, "Why don't you go bug Cherry Bomb or something? I'm sure she's one of the few people here who actually likes your sour ass."

He gave her the middle finger with a gloved hand and left, disappearing into the elevator. Louise watched the door close behind him and let out a breath of relief as he finally disappeared from view.

"How...How did you do that?" She looked at the woman in slight awe. She'd talked back to an Elf and survived- No, not only that, she'd made him leave!

"What, him? Ah, he's just a drekhead who loves being a prick to everyone. Don't worry, unless you actually do something to warrant getting shot at he's harmless. Kind of like Mr. Kluwe upstairs, but more of an ass," She gave her a toothy smile, "Anyway, what was up with you? I could understand being freaked out about his Cyber or something but you were screaming your head off because he has pointy ears?"

"Yes. Elves are demons. Why wouldn't I be scared?" Louise replied.

"What, bad experience with Tir Tarngire or something?" The girl merely looked confused, "Listen, whatever happened to you and Elves you mind keeping it down while you're here? Mrs. Kubota doesn't like prejudice in her home and I only called him a dandelion eater to make him back off."

"B-But Elves are Firstborns! They have powerful spirit magic!"

"Spirit Magic? What, you mean a Shaman? Maybe some Elves, sure, but Strelok has so much Cyber on him that his essence is barely clinging to his body. That guy wouldn't be able to toss a fireball, let alone have a Spirit take interest in him."

"Cyber? Essence?" Louise parroted. She didn't understand; was she implying the Elf couldn't cast magic? That was like saying an Ogre was a vegetarian.

"Look, we need to get some explanations out of the way so I'll start off quick - Whatever you think you know of Elves from watching bad trids or whatever isn't true. They're not magical prodigies - even if some say they are - anymore than the other metahumans. They're not immortal either, least as far as we know. So calm down and stop worrying about 'demons' or whatever."

"But-"

"Now that we have that out of the way." She interrupted with a clap, "I think introductions are in order. My name is Robin; not my real name but that's all you're going to get." She pointed at her, "Now it's your turn."

"I'm Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere." Robin gave her an odd look, "Just...call me Louise."

"Alright, Louise." She smiled, "Listen I have no idea what happened back there or how you appeared out of thin air but I owe you my life so tell you what - I'll take you back to your family if you just tell me where they are."

"M-My family's estate is at the Valliere lands, on the border to Germania. It should be two days horesback travel from the Tristanian capital."

Robin's smile faltered. Drek...either this girl was delusional or she'd been hooked on one too many BTL's, "Uh...alright, lets start over from the beginning." She gestured to the couch and they both sat, "I'll start asking you questions and then you can walk me through the details. Got it?" She nodded, "Alright, lets make this one simple: How old are you?"

"Sixteen years old."

She nearly called the girl out for lying, but her expression made it clear she was being serious. Either it was the truth or she believed her own lies, "Uh...right. Okay, so where's your home?"

"The Valliere Estate, as I said. Right now I'm attending the Tristain Academy of Magic for nobles and have been for the past two years."

...Either this girl was a chiphead or she was an alien, and she was more inclined to believe the former over the latter, "...Alright, lets get one last question then - How did you appear at the Universal Brotherhood chapter house?"

"I...I'm not sure..." She stared down at her lap, "We were preparing to summon our Familiars and during the summoning ritual I...well, all I remember is casting the spell and the next thing I knew was that you were trying to shake me awake."

"Great..." She brought a hand through her face and groaned. This was harder than she thought, "Alright, lets just get this out of the way - You have a SIN, right? I mean you're wearing a school uniform and assuming that's not cosplay that means you're a registered citizen. We can just bring that up and find out where you live."

"A...sin? Beg pardon but this really doesn't seem like the time for confessions and you are no priest."

"...Someone just kill me..." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Louise, I'm going to be honest - It's either you're a chiphead that can't tell that she's off her BTL's or, God help me, you're actually telling the truth and you're some kind of fragging alien. Do you have a datajack?" Another look of confusion, "That answers that question, I guess. So...I dunno, welcome to our planet? Do you come in peace?"

"What?" She just looked even more confused.

"Haa..." She sighed, "Look, point is as far as the world knows you're dead. If you're telling the truth then you either don't have a SIN or you lost your memory and you're actually not an alien. Either way without your system identification number I can't help you get back home...wherever that may be." She leaned back on the couch, "That means your SINless and stuck here."

"Wh-What?" She let out a choked gasp, "B-But I can't stay here! I have a family back in Tristain! I need to tell them I'm okay!"

"Louise, listen: There's no such thing as Tristain here. Not even in any Trid I've seen. Either that's a code for something or your home here doesn't exist." She pursed her lips, "Either way you're stuck. I assumed you lived here in Seattle but if your home is some uncharted island in the middle of nowhere there's nothing I can do for you."

"But..." She looked down and let out a frustrated breath. This was...impossible. Surely this was nothing more than a delusion, yes? An extended nightmare? She pinched her wrist; no, definitely not a dream.

"Hey, listen, I still owe you my life and all so I'm still gonna help you." She leaned closer to the younger girl, "I can't promise you that I can take you back to your home but I'll do my best to keep you safe. You can stay here for now and...I dunno, I guess I can try searching the extranet for teleporting schoolgirls with pink hair." God she sucked at comforting people. It was a trait her entire family shared, "But until then you can just take it easy down here. Mrs. Kubota isn't the type to kick helpless little girls out on the street and I can make enough money to buy two packets of nutrisoy so there's no problem in that department.

Louise wanted to shout back that she wasn't helpless but biting the hand that fed you was never a wise course of action, "Thank you..." She tucked her legs into her chest and placed her arms around them. This truly was a nightmare - She was trapped in an unknown land where apparently Elves were not only present but also tolerated. Meanwhile her only ally was a woman who dressed as if she was the main character of a comedic play who she'd first met in the middle of nearly being eaten by giant insects. To top it all off her homeland apparently did not exist or she was being lied to; neither of the two explanations really appealed to her.

She was wrong; she had nightmares more pleasant than this.

Robin looked at the younger girl with obvious pity before hesitantly ruffling her hair. That was comforting, right? "Hey, listen. I know this isn't for the best but you'll be safe here. Better than being out on the streets, right? Trust me that I don't exaggerate when I said that out there you'd have to sell one of your kidneys just get some medicine. Just ask Strelok if you don't believe me." Her shoulders sagged, "Just take it easy for a couple of days. I'll bring back some books on magical theory or something and you can take a crack at it."

"Hmm..." Louise responded despondently.

"Uh...right." Robin looked around her. What could cheer teenagers up... "Oh hey, I know there's this new show on the trid, forgot the title. Wanna watch?" She gestured to the the screen, "Or you just wanna watch some Maria Mercurial? I heard she's starring in that new movie about the Seattle Ripper killings."

Louise finally looked up at her, "What's a...trid? Is that another word for theatre?"

"...God, I have a _lot_ to tell you about."

* * *

 **End of Chapter 1. We'll see where this goes.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter of Shadow's Call :) Needed something to get the writing juices flowing again.**

* * *

"You're a criminal!?"

Explaining things to Louise had been slow going. It wasn't simply that she had to recap basic thing like the extranet or the trid, but the girl seemed to have no idea of concepts that were in use long before she was born - Apparently whatever land she came out of had no such thing as lightbulbs or cars; the girl practically went bug-eyed when she had told her about cars and how they didn't need horses or magic to move people around.

She was equally disbelieving when she'd told her about the different foods, fashions and the like. If she had to make a guess then she could approximate that the girl definitely came from - or at least believed she came from - a few hundred years ago, give or take a century. Her comments on nobility, commoners and the like reminded her of some of the history she'd read up on in high school. Still, there was definitely something off - Her uniform appeared far too much like modern cosplay rather than something from a few hundred years ago.

Also, last she checked the Awakening hadn't taken place back then. Conspiracy theorists always claimed that dragons were altering history for their own ends but she didn't see the point of expunging all details of magic in the past. It wouldn't have made a difference in today's time when the magic started seeping into the world.

"Go back to the part where you're a criminal!"

And then of course telling her about the Shadowrunners.

Robin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off the coming headache. Shadowrunners were practically ingrained in this world: Criminal mercenary operatives with an emphasis on criminal. Their morals varied; some were Robin Hood types claiming to fight the system while others were no better than amoral thugs and killers who took jobs from any corporation to earn money. From package delivery and bodyguards to assassins and human traffickers, Shadowrunners walked all sides of life and, despite claims otherwise, never did anything for free.

At least in her experience. From what she'd seen others weren't above the occasional act of altruism, but they never did it for free. Hell, even she only saved Louise because the girl had saved her ass from being eaten by the fragging insect spirits. Would she have saved her otherwise? Probably not. She certainly didn't think twice about leaving those (relatively) clueless UB drekheads from being mulched.

"Yes, I'm a criminal." She shrugged, "So is everyone else here really." She gestured to the milling Runners, some of whom were staring at them due to the pinkette's earlier outburst, "I thought that was kinda obvious but I thought the whole 'came from another world/time' thing would matter more." She clapped her shoulder, "Don't worry, no one here's going to hurt you or anything. Mrs. Kubota has very strict rules on who she lets in and psychos aren't one of them. A few of them might be dicks but as long as you don't do anything to warrant getting shot you should be safe."

Louise tucked her knees into her chest and looked down, completely silent. Robin looked at her in pity before standing up from the bed; maybe a warm drink would calm her down-

Her hands shot out and quickly grabbed hold of the older woman's wrist, "W-Wait, don't leave me here alone!"

"I'm not going far." She did her best to offer a comforting smile, "I'm just going to get us a warm drink. You must be-"

"I'm not thirsty!" She yelled. Louise let out a couple of deep breaths before reluctantly letting go of Robin's arm, "I...sorry. Just...Just give me a minute to understand this. I...you have to understand that I just didn't expect you to be a...criminal." Her eyebrows knotted in what she could only presume to be in distaste, "I mean you certainly don't act like a criminal of any sort I've seen before. You've been very helpful."

"Gee, thanks." She rolled her eyes, though her lips quirked up in an easy smile. She sat back down on the bed and crossed her legs, "So I'm curious: How do you think a criminal should act like?"

"I...I don't really know. I've never actually met any criminals before." Her shoulders sagged, "But, the stories I've heard from my parents didn't give a flattering picture: Bandits, traitors, kinslayers...the worst of humanity, they called them. You don't seem like a criminal." She repeated.

"Well, that's how a civilian would see criminals, I guess." If they came from the early modern century maybe, "Nowadays everything is romanticized. People have this idealized images of how criminals are. Oh sure a there are still those who look at Shadowrunners and think 'scum of the earth'." She raised both hands and bent her fingers for quotation, "Mostly lone star, though. Now everything's about the 'justified criminal' and how they had no other choice because society wasn't fair to them and they have hidden hears of gold beneath all the murdering, stealing and raping."

"Um..."

"Well, don't let bother you." She laughed, "Most of the Runners here have standards. You're not gonna find anyone here working for those Aztechnology creeps or anything like that."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"What...What crimes have you committed?"

"Oh a little bodyguarding here and package delivery there." She twirled her finger around with a bored expression, "Low level work. Compared to some of the other runners here I'm actually pretty small-time. I've only been a Runner for a short time and Lone Star

"Lone Star...they are the city guards, yes?" Louise asked hesitantly. She had to admit that a part of her was tempted to run off and seek sanctuary with them, though given that she might have been in a distant unknown land she wasn't going to risk alienating the one person who was sympathetic to her.

"City guards? More like corporate ones." She snorted, "Sure they'll solve crimes if it makes public news, but usually you can get away with anything short of murder - and sometimes even then - if you throw enough Nuyen at them. Everything has a price." She flashed her credstick, "This is the only thing they listen to. If no one's bankrolling then they're not going to get off their asses."

"You...never actually told me about these 'corporations'. From what little you've described of them they sound like the trading companies back home. Do they make their profits through merchant caravans as well?"

"Caravans? Look, Louise, I know you might be some kinda alien or something but you gotta stop saying drek that sounds like it came from a history novel." The girl looked distinctly offended at the comment but she ignored it, "Look, giving you a rundown on the corps is going to take days so I'll just shorten it to what you can understand - The corps control everything. Trid says otherwise but that's all a load of drek; government can't do anything if the corps don't want them to. Hell in some places the corps are the fragging government."

"So the trading companies run the lands? What about the royalty? The King or the Queen?"

"Woah, woah, back up." She shook her head, "First things first, we don't have kings or queens or any of that royalty drek, at least not here in Seattle. We have a president and he's voted in by the people." God it felt weird having to explain this to a teenager, "Look, all you need to know is that the corps have their own laundry list of bad drek they're into but some are less bad than others. Ares is pretty good to work for, but Saeder-Krupp and Aztechnology are definitely on the 'don't take this unless you have a death wish' list. Most of the other corps are in the middle and the jobs vary."

"Wait...you said the corps control everything, yes?" She nodded, "And people like you, these 'Shadowrunners', work for these corporations." Another nod, "Then...aren't you working properly? Working for the crown in Tristain is an honorable career."

"Uh...look, this is hard to explain so I'll try to break it down as best I can." She sighed, "Corps control everything but most people don't know. Kinda like how the puppeteer controls the puppets but we pretend they don't. Catch my drift?" She nodded uncertainly, "Right, so as far as people know the president - or King if you wanna make it similar - is the one who controls the country, but the corps are pulling strings behind the scenes. The law states that, say, killing people is wrong, right?"

"Of course. It's a crime punishable by execution."

"Well, the corps don't seem to think so because they'll kill anyone for mistyping something on the annual report." She held up a finger to shush Louise, "Let me finish. Alright, so corps don't play by the same rules. They want someone dead then that person's dying. They want something another corp has and they hire people like me to steal it. They can't do this openly since reputation is everything in line of work so they hire Shadowrunners, people who can do their dirty work away from the eyes of the public. They have commercials and billboards throwing out propaganda about all the good they do while the bad drek is kept away from prying eyes."

"I...suppose I understand. There are nobles in my home who abuse their powers as well while hiding behind a veneer of nobility. My father complains about them at times."

"You get it then." She smiled in relief, "So yeah, that's what me and the others here are - The guns the corps use when they want their dirty work done. It's not a glamorous life and most runners end up retiring with a bullet to the back of the head rather than at their bed but hey it's a living." She ruffled Louise's hair, mussing it slightly in the process, "The reasons we do it can vary. Most people they have no other choice but to really, while others go to the Shadowland forums and think 'Gee, this sounds awesome' and run in headfirst. The latter kinda have a habit of dying on the first few runs unless they wise up."

"What about you? Why did you become a...runner?"

"Me? Well..." She bit her lower lip before forcing a laugh, "Look, kid, no offense but that's a bit personal, yeah? Maybe I'll tell you when I can find a way to get you back home but for now I'll just keep that little tidbit to myself." She stood up, "I think that's enough talking for tonight. Get some sleep; don't worry, I won't be far. After that cluster frag I'm not gonna be finding decent work anytime soon."

"Right..." She took a deep breath, "I do need to get some sleep, but...thank you. For saving me and bringing me here."

"Null sheen. Remember you saved my ass too, so far I as I can see we're pretty much even." She turned off the lights, dousing the room in darkness, "Sweet dreams, kid."

* * *

Introducing her to Mr. Kluwe had been both entertaining and extremely embarrassing.

It had been a few days before Louise finally managed to work up the courage to actually leave the Union's basement, and even then Robin had to to assure her they weren't actually going outside before she agreed to get into the elevator. Personally she considered it rather depressing that the girl was so scared of leaving her 'sanctuary' that she was willing to stay in that room all by herself for fear of the unknown.

...Then again, maybe she shouldn't have described the barrens as 'a slum where you're as likely to get stabbed as you are to get a hello'.

In her defense it was absolutely true, and she never was a believer in the 'ignorance is bliss' anecdote. The world was a cruel and unforgiving place and if you wanted to survive in this line of work then you had to see past the layer of painted smiles and fancy words that the trids shoved in their faces. The corps could spout about all the humanitarian projects they were doing to improve Seattle, but the barrens were still a fragging slum that no one deserved to grow up in.

"Good evening, madam."

Oh right, back to Louise. Robin looked down at the younger girl before not-so-subtly shoving her towards the well-suited troll, "Come on, Louise, the big guy doesn't bite." She stifled a laugh as Louise back at her, her expression completely aghast. She didn't have younger siblings and she couldn't deny that a part of her found teasing the smaller girl to be oddly entertaining.

"...Is something the matter, madam?" Mr. Kluwe raised a well-groomed eyebrow, though he continued to wait patiently for Louise to do whatever it was she planned to do.

Robin had to admit that Mr. Kluwe was an anomaly as far trolls went - While she wasn't one for racism and stereotyping she had to admit that in the vast majority of her experiences in the underground trolls tended to lean towards being the muscle or intimidation in the group. While troll in front of her could certainly be intimidating, his well-pressed suit, meticulously combed hair and manicured nails contrasted somewhat with his role as being the club's bouncer.

Still, it made talking to the guy much easier. She couldn't imagine how badly Louise would take talking to some of the Runner trolls she'd seen around the safehouse.

"H-Hello." Louise forced an open smile, trying and failing to keep her legs from shaking, "M-My name is L-Louise. Robin t-t-told me I should introduce myself properly to the people working here."

His mouth parted slightly and he let out a throaty 'ah' of recognition, "Hmm, yes, I've heard of the situation from Mrs. Kubota." He turned to Louise, "Rest assured, Madam, that so long as you are a guest of Mrs. Kubota then I will do my utmost to protect you as I would anyone else here." He bowed slightly, "If you are in need of assistance then please don't hesitate to ask."

"O-Oh...thanks." Her shivering lessened as the Troll returned to his previous position. Robin smiled; introducing her to Mr. Kluwe first was a definite good start for her to accept the other races - She'd already seen the others in the safehouse but since most of them were humans she didn't pay any special attention to them...though she did scream about 'midget Elves' when she'd seen one of the Dwarves. That got her quite a few glares.

"Told you he was nice." She nudged Louise playfully before grabbing her shoulder and dragging her away, "Now, I need to introduce you to Mrs. Kubota then we can meet up with Cherry Bomb." She paused made Louise face her, "Also, I know it was funny the first time, but _don't_ start screaming about Elves trying to eat your soul, alright? A bunch of the customers up here are Elves and they don't like being accused of as soul-suckers."

"I-I heard you the first time." She crossed her arms scoffed, attempting to regain a bit of her dignity.

"Right, just a reminder."

Louise had to admit that Mrs. Kubota wasn't who she was expecting, though at this point she was beginning to put her expectations aside. Robin had told her that Mrs. Kubota was the owner Seamstress Union and did so with full knowledge that she was harboring criminals. She expected the woman to be strict, perhaps even intimidating in order to keep all these criminals under her control.

She certainly didn't expect to see the woman frying sausages in a skillet while humming an unknown tune to herself.

Mrs. Kubota certainly didn't have the appearance of a hardened criminal. Her attire was strange, a dress of some sort, and her hair had been done up in similarly to some nobles from her home. What confused her were her eyes - It might have been a carefully crafted facade but her eyes held a certain warmth that she remembered from her dear older sister.

"Ah, konbanwa, Robin. Is the girl settling in alright?" She gave the pinkette a warm smile, a gesture she returned with slight hesitation. The woman's tan skin reminder eerily reminder her of Zerbst, "My, you certainly look better than you did a few days ago. I have to admit I didn't know what to expect when Robin came in here screaming about insect spirits and teleporting schoolgirls. I was curious to what type of person you might have been for Robin to risk her life for you."

"Mrs. Kubota, you don't need to tell her everything." A slight blush crept to the Japanese woman's cheeks, ""I just wanted to introduce her to your properly. Louise has been cooped up in that bed for days now and I didn't want her turning into a shut-in."

"I...understand I have you to thank for my current lodgings." Louise did her best to give a proper curtsy, "Robin wastes no chance to remind me of how lucky I am to be here rather than selling my kidneys on the street."

"My, how polite!" She clapped her hands with a soft laugh, "Well, my dear, you're welcome to stay here until you regain your bearings. Whatever preconceptions you might have of Shadowrunners I would ask that you set them aside. Many of the people here are simply trying to eke out a living and if they must do so by taking the jobs no one else wishes to take then I cannot fault them for it."

"Of course, lady Kubota." Louise nodded. She still wasn't sure how to deal with the fact that she was essentially sleeping in a criminal safehouse but she could deal with that once she could fully accept what was happening, "Once again thank you for allowing me to stay here."

"You're very welcome." She offered a plate of cooked sausages to the young Runner, "Here. I know you like these so I made sure to reserve a plate just for you."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kubota. We'll come back when I finish introducing Louise to Cherry Bomb." She gave the older woman a lopsided grin before dragging Louise away from the backroom. The small area was relatively isolated from the rest of the watering hole and with the Union's popularity they could expect a large crowd tonight. Hopefully Cherry wouldn't be too busy to talk.

Louise's footsteps slowed as they drew closer to the main room's entrance. She could hear some sort of pounding coming from the opposite room, which Robin had assured her was 'typical nightclub music'. She had no idea what exactly that meant but she knew for a fact that the deafening booms were not any sort of music she'd heard in her life. Even the most bombastic operas had a certain element of restraint about them.

"You ready for this?"

"...If I said no and that I wanted to go back to the basement would you actually let me?"

"Nope!"

Louise let out a squeak of surprise as the Runner suddenly pushed her through the door.

The first thing she noticed was the music - Almost deafening with a bizarre rythm that caused her heart to beat against her chest wildly. She covered her ears to muffle the sound and to try and calm her beating heart. It felt as if someone was firing guns all around her and the constant flickering lights were already giving her a headache.

The second thing she noticed were the people. Humans, Elves, Trolls and Orcs...all of them jumping with their hands in the air, 'dancing' to the music. She watched with morbid curiosity at a few mixed races bending and stretching around a pole, their attires leaving little to the imagination as they contorted in odd angles. If she didn't know better then she had to assume they were possessed by demons.

"Hey, Louise, you okay?" She nearly stumbled as Robin clapped her on the back, "Something get your attention?" She nudged her head to the pole-dancers with a cheeky laugh. She wanted to wipe that smile off her face.

"It's nothing." She looked away, her cheeks flushed. The last time she'd seen people so scantily clad was...actually, she couldn't ever recall a time that she'd seen people that had been so scantily clad.

"Right. Well just make sure to keep your eyes focused on Cherry's face, not her tits." Louise rolled her eyes, "Anyway, trust me when I say that it's not usually this loud." She gestured to the gesticulating crowd, "Some corp's doing another charity event which means they actually gave some money to get some good PR. People are using it as an excuse to get drunk and celebrate...though in the barrens you really don't need an excuse to do that."

"Couldn't we have come up when it isn't so...loud?" Louise winced and plugged her ears. God the booming was annoying.

"It provides a good distraction." She winked, "Really between the strippers, the music and the strobe lights you're not even going to be able to focus on Cherry's ears."

She hated to admit it, but she was right. She wanted to be scared of the Elven bartender, but the growing headache and her heart pounding in her chest crushed any sense of fear at seeing the Elven woman. That and seeing gaggles of Orcs and Trolls dancing with Humans and Dwarves certainly grasped her attention more than a lone Elven bartender.

Cherry Bomb, ignoring her odd name, was odd even by the standards of an Elf. With an attire that was just as sparse as that of the pole-dancers and various other club-goers and the heavy makeup slathered across her face the first thought that crossed her mind was that the woman had to have been a prostitute of some kind. She certainly didn't miss the way that she leaned forward to emphasize her cleavage or the occasional winks she gave her customers.

Granted the fact that she wasn't a baby-eating monster still took some getting used to, but she was actually beginning to get used to that.

"Oh! Hey, Robin!" Cherry Bomb waved her through the crowds and offered her a lopsided grin, "Showing the kid around? Sure picked a hell of a night to do it."

"Figured the party would get her to loosen up." Robin shrugged, nudging Louise forward for the umpteenth time that night, "Well go on then, say hi! She's not planning to suck your soul out and she stopped sucking other things a long time ago so you're out of luck if that's what you're into."

"You're a real charmer, you know that, Robby?" She filled a mug with synthesized alcohol and slid it to the dark haired woman, "Anyway, drink up. Mrs. Kubota's in a generous mood so the first few drinks are on the house.

"Cheers." She raised the mug briefly before downing the drink in one gulp. She needed a good drink to drown out the images of fragging insect spirits.

Louise looked down at her feet awkwardly before steeling herself. She could do this, "Nice to meet you...um, Ms. Bomb." She coughed. Being polite was difficult when a person's name was so improper.

"Trust me, doll, that 'polite and charming' thing ain't gonna do you any favors here with anyone 'cept Kluwe." She winked and offered her a glass filled with orange liquid, "Anyway, here's a drink on the house. You look like you need it."

"Um...what is it?" She looked down at the violet colored liquid with an expression of confusion.

"Don't worry, doll, it ain't alcohol. Just some grape soda." She eyed Louise up and down, "Mrs. Kubota don't like it when we sell any of the hard stuff to minors so you gotta wait for the good stuff till you're older...or at least till you stop dressing like you came outta grade school." She turned to Robin, "You didn't get her a change of clothes? How long's she been wearing that uniform?"

"Hey, I tried to get her into something else but she refused." Robin retorted half-heartedly, "She wants to stick to that uniform so I say let her stick to it. She'll change when she wants to."

"If you say so, Robby."

Louise raised the cup and pressed it against her lips, "Ach! Ach!" She slammed it against the counter and grimaced. It didn't taste...bad per-se, but it felt as if the drink was popping in her mouth. She repeated the gesture and this time she could at least taste something fruity before she was again forced to slam the glass on the counter. What in the void was this thing and how did people drink it?

"Something wrong, kid?" Robin looked at her worriedly, "Don't tell me you can't handle a little soda."

"It...It's nothing, I'm fine." She pushed the cup away with another cough, "...Listen, I'm gonna go back to my room for a bit. Thanks for introducing me to everyone."

"Oh, hey, wait up! I'll go with you-"

"I'll be fine." Her tone made it clear that it wasn't for argument, "I..look, I just need some time to be alone, okay? I...I guess it's finally sinking in that I really might be trapped in this place at least for a while." She looked back at the crowd of metahumans, "I mean, how else am I supposed to explain that, huh? So just...just let me deal with this on my own for now. We can talk more later."

"...Yeah, I see what you mean." She ruffled her hair once more, "I'll meet you down there in a bit. Night, kid."

"Night..."

Robin looked at the sullen pinkette for a moment before taking her drink and sitting at an unoccupied table. She couldn't claim to understand how she must have felt; she chose to leave her home on her own, she wasn't dragged kicking and screaming into becoming a Runner. Was it her first career choice? Absolutely not. But there were worst ways to live than being a criminal mercenary operative.

She sighed. What the hell was she doing? She wasn't fit to look after a kid, especially given how she was barely trudging along herself. She doubted Louise would find a way back home, so what then? She couldn't stay a shut-in in that room forever and she sure as drek couldn't adopt her or take her to the police - Without a SIN she'd be thrown on the street with nothing to her name.

A part of her, the stupid part she thought she'd gotten rid of when she left Japan, suggested another idiotic ploy: Make her into a Shadowrunner. She squashed that thought as soon as it surfaced - Yes the girl had magic she'd never seen before, but that didn't matter. Girl could barely look at Kluwe in the eye, how was she supposed to be able to take care of herself in the barrens? She'd manage a few steps out before a ganger decided she was easy pickings and robbed her for all she was worth...which given that she had nothing but the clothes on her back didn't amount to much.

Frag, she needed another drink.

The two chairs in front of her slid back with an audible noise. Robin grunted in annoyance, "Not looking for company-"

Her words died in her throat as she saw the two figures sitting in front of her: A man and a woman, both Elves, both immaculately styled and dressed utterly looking like they didn't belong. She would have mistaken them for models if not for the white uniforms they both wore - Universal Brotherhood robes. She wouldn't mistake that eyecatching symbol on their breast pockets for anything.

"...Great, just what I needed." She groaned and lowered the glass onto the table. They didn't appear to be armed, but she could never tell with these nutjobs, "So, what's a couple of UB bigwigs doing down here? Slumming it with us barren folk?"

"Nothing as crass as that." The woman's voice was sharp, easily cutting through the background noise throughout the entire club, "We shan't dawdle about: We're here for the girl."

"Take your pick." She gestured to the crowd, "I'm sure at least one of them's stupid enough to sleep with you-"

The male swept the glass aside, knocking it to the floor in what she could only assume was supposed to be a threatening gesture. Robin looked distinctly unimpressed as the male Elf glared at her ferociously, "We are not here to play your games, human." His voice sounded unstable, completely contrasting with his dapper appearance, "You know who we're talking about. The girl who helped you escape your failed attempt at espionage."

"What my partner is trying to say is that we're here to make you an offer." The woman cut in.

"Sure didn't look like he was making offer."

"Forgive him, he's simply experiencing a crisis of faith, which will be dealt with when we finish our business." She offered a disarming smile, "To get to the point - We know you broke into or chapterhouse and that you alone managed to escape, but only with the help of a...special young woman." She steepled her hands together, "We simply wish to converse with her. For enabling us to do so you will receive a generous amount of nuyen. Think of it like...one of your 'shadowruns', albeit much simpler. Simply bring us the girl and everything will be settled."

"Don't have her." Robin leaned back into her seat and shrugged, "Ditched her in an alley since she was slowing me down. If you need to talk to her check with Lone Star, they probably have her in a cell somewhere."

"Very funny, Miss." The woman's smile held no hint of mirth, "But let's stop dancing around it. You have the girl, we know you do. We've checked elsewhere before contacting you. So let's stop these games and get down to business: Will you allow us to meet this girl?"

"...After all the drek that happened back in that madhouse you honestly expect me to trust you?" Robin asked back, "I don't believe for a second that all you want is to talk to the kid so get the frag out of here and don't come back. Go pray to your maggots or whatever, but leave us both out of it."

The male's face contorted in rage, "Listen here you-"

"No, you listen." Robin leaned in, her voice lowering into a harsh whisper, "This isn't one of your chapterhouses, drekhead. Make a move on me, if you even raise your fragging fist, you're gonna get shot before you can say 'O holy insect spirit'." She sneered at their uniforms, "You think anyone here's gonna hesitate to stick it to a couple of UB assholes? I wouldn't risk it if I was you."

"You damn-"

"Nicholas, enough." The woman raised her hand, "We came here to offer you an olive branch, but I see now that this was a mistake. I implore you to please come to your senses and give us the girl before it's too late."

"What, so when I deliver her you kill me too so you can wipe off all the loose ends? Not a chance." She nudged her head to the exit, "You better leave if you know what's good for you. Don't bother coming back; I'm not gonna change my mind no matter how much nuyen you offer."

"I see." The woman smiled once again before standing up from her seat, "Then I suppose our business is concluded here. Come along, Nicholas. The Father expects our return."

"But-"

"Now."

Robin watched them go until they had passed the entrance and disappeared into the barren. The Japenese woman let out a held breath and closed her eyes, allowing herself to sag in her seat. God that was tense; she wasn't exactly used to intimidating people, but she wasn't going to let herself be pushed around by maggot worshiping assholes. She was distinctly aware that she was antagonizing someone above her pay-grade but frag it. At this point she was on their hit-list whether she gave them Louise or not - she was a loose end - so she didn't gain anything even by agreeing to their demands.

One thing was for sure - Whatever Louise was, they were determined to keep her from killing any more of their precious larvae.

"...Holy drek, Louise. What have you gotten us into?"

* * *

 **Anonymous - Twisted Reflection's my main story so that always takes priority. At the very least I can promise that will never get abandoned unless Real Life comes up or something.**

 **Mingyu - Don't have a character sheet for Robin just yet, but if you wanna go stat-wise then just imagine she's a typical low level Decker you'd find at the start of a new game. Her lack of experience is commented on multiple times.**

 **Dude - I'm not disregarding going back, but it'll be a while before we get there.**


	3. Chapter 3

Louise closed the book with a dull thud, a sigh escaping her parted lips.

How many days had she spent here now? She was losing track of time, especially since she had never gone outside in all the time she'd spent in this place. The only way she even knew when day had transitioned into night was by the number of 'Runners' milling about or the numbers in the 'digital alarm' sitting at at her bedside. Right now she could see a lazily blinking '9:37 PM' on the machine, which meant Robin would be back soon enough.

As she'd learned, the 'Runners' preferred doing their tasks at night. The city's alleys and shadows helped mask their activities and it was better than breaking into a heavily fortified building in the middle of the day. Right now she could only see a few of them milling around, most of them watching some type of sport on the miniature stage- er, television. She still found the idea of it - broadcasting images from one place to another - to be very absurd. Robin had been adamant that it wasn't magic, rather a mix of technology and electricity or...actually, she didn't really know and it wasn't a priority right now.

She traced the faded title of the leather book. A book on the various corporations that dominated this world and a brief history on each on. Robin had cheekily commented that it took a while to find since most people used something called 'digital copies' to read rather than hardbound books of paper and ink. Thankfully there was an old bookstore around here that still hadn't closed down so she could get it for her.

She spent her time here reading. Despite her lack of magical aptitude she was always good at absorbing information to keep her grades up and this was no exception. She read through every book she was given like a starving man offered a feast, trying to reconcile everything she knew with the new information she was receiving. As she processed every word she was slowly but surely beginning to take stock in Robin's theory that she was an 'alien', whatever in Helheim that was.

This place - Seattle, as Robin had called it - was in a place called UCAS, the 'United Canadian and American States); one country among many in this world. Supposedly there was a reason for such a name and why whatever in the hel 'Canandian' and 'American' states were had been united, but she took little interest in it. She would focus on this land's general history when she had the time.

Oh, and there were apparently two countries run solely by Elves, but she tried her best not to think about that. Bad enough the demons took the desert back in her home, now they had two of them.

She of course had gravitated towards the magic books, trying to reconcile her lessons with the studies conducted here - It only took a quick glance on what the 'Awakened' were for her to give up on such a notion. As far as she could gather certain individuals simply 'awoke' to the capability of using magic regardless of their race or circumstances. She'd also read about the 'Shamans' and the bonds they established with spirits: Back home they would have been burned as heretics, but here they were an accepted part of everyday life barring the occasional moments of prejudice.

Even more distressing, the act of summoning only pertained to the summoning of spirits from some sort of astral plane. With every book she burned through her hope of finding more information to try and recreate the spell slowly grew dim. Casting the summon spell once more did nothing and as far as she read every attempt at teleportation in this world was a failure, amounting to nothing more than theories and futile experiments.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes. She could never recall a time she'd so desperately read through so many works of literature in such a short timespan. Whatever this place was it was quite clear that it wasn't her home. She couldn't even imagine what would have happened if the 'Awakening' happened in her homeland; normal humans turning to other races, dragons rampaging across the lands before they were subdued. The chaos would have been astronomical.

She wondered how her family was doing. No doubt they thought her to be dead now, the victim of a magical mishap. Once more she felt the urge to cry before she quickly reined it in. There was no point to it; her tears wouldn't bring her any closer to going back home nor would it do anything except elicit a few more looks of pity. The other 'Runners' had no idea what she was doing here, regarding her as nothing more than a lost little girl that Robin had taken under wing...no pun intended.

Another yawn escaped. She was going to go mad staying here, reading more and more to try and keep herself from going insane. Robin worked for them both, simple jobs so they could afford to eat and buy more books from her. For a supposed criminal the woman was oddly generous; many others would have grown tired of her presence and dismissed her if they weren't her family.

Soft footsteps drew closer. Looking up, Louise gave a tired smile to the raven haired young woman as she walked lazily into their shared corner. Robin returned the gesture, waving her free hand in greeting. Her 'glasses' were gone and given the way she slouched she had to assume the Shadowrunner was planning to sleep despite the early hours. She'd told her earlier that today would have been a big job, enough to temporarily alleviate them from their hand-to-mouth existence.

"How was your task?" Louise asked, trying to remain casual. Robin tried her best to not divulge details about what she did in an attempt to spare her feelings.

"Ah...it was a bust." She flopped down on the bed and sighed, shaking away her boots, "It was supposed to be a simple smash and grab and- Oh, sorry, you probably don't wanna hear it."

"It's fine...being ignorant doesn't change the facts, and it's not as if I have any room to judge given all that you've given me." She shrugged. It scared her somewhat that she so easily brushed away that the money that fed her came at the expense of others, "Listening's the least I could do."

"Well, if you insist." She grinned, adjusting her place on the bed, "So get this. It was supposed to be a simple job: A museum had a scroll in an exhibit and we were going to swipe it. All I had to do was shut off the cameras and alarms and then they would sneak past the rent-a-cops and snatch it. Sounds simple enough, right?"

"In a manner of speaking..."

"Right, well, the fragging troll leading this little squad of goons gets caught by a janitor. Rather than threatening him or tossing a few nuyen to keep it quiet so we can keep going he decides the mission's a bust and hightails it back to the escape point." She snorted, waving her hands in irritation, "They get caught, of course, and we had to run away with Lone Star on our ass every step of the way. I'm lucky the drekhead didn't decide to start shooting or we would have gotten cars on us. Took me an hour to lose em and get back here."

"What happened to the others?" She asked.

"Hell if I know. They could be in a Lone Star cell right now and I wouldn't give a ghoul's ass." She brought a hand through her hair, "I knew I shouldn't have ran with them but that last clusterfrag of a job I had didn't exactly inspire confidence so I couldn't afford to be picky." She gave her a half-hearted grin, "Guess that payday I promised you isn't gonna come, kid."

"As long as you're alright, I don't care." She dismissed, doing her best not to look at Robin's no-doubt teasing smirk, "So what are you going to do now?"

"Now? Well, I guess it's back to the basics." She lied down on the bed, "Gunderson needs a package delivery tomorrow and even if it ain't glamorous it puts food on the table. You're gonna have to wait a bit before I can buy you a new book, okay? With how things are now I'd prefer if we had a little more creds saved up before we go and buy anything more than the essentials."

"It's fine...I think I've had enough reading to last me for quite a while." She paused, taking a moment and considering her next words, "Look, when you go to your job tomorrow...can I...come with you?"

Robin sat up and gave her a blank look. She didn't blame her; Robin had told her of the Barrens, of the dangers present within. It would have been better for everyone involved if she kept her head down and let her do all the work for them, but something urged her to leave...to finally look at this world with her own eyes rather than hearing muted tales from her companion.

"You...wanna go to the Barrens? I'm hearing that right, yeah?"

"Y-Yes..." She took a deep breath and tried to calm her shaking, "Yes, I wish to go with you tomorrow. You told me yourself that the job would be simple, yes? If it's just getting a package and delivering it to someone then it shouldn't be too dangerous."

"Even simple jobs can be complicated, especially in the Barrens." She muttered, "Look, I'm not your mom so I can't force you to stay here but I need to know what you're aware of the risk. It's not just the gangers we have to worry about; You remember what I told you about those Brotherhood drekheads, right? They want you for a reason, and I'll bet it's not because they wanna invite you over to tea. You sure that you wanna go out there with that price on your head like that?"

"You do it and you're in as much danger as I am." She pressed her lips into a thin line. She still recalled the discussion she and Robin shared a few nights prior about the madmen attempting to summon monsters. They wanted her for some nefarious reason or another and they'd made clear that Robin was as much a target as she was for her involvement in that house of madness.

"I can defend myself. You? I'm not so sure." Robin let out a frustrated breath, "Like I said I'm not your mom so I'm not going to force you to stay here, but if we're really doing this then I need to make sure that you don't walk in there with your ass hanging out." She looked her up and down, "That means you do what I say when I say it, okay? I don't wanna hear any complaints or arguments."

"Agreed. You're the expert here."

"Alright, so first things first you need to get a change of clothes." She stood up briefly before sitting next to her, hands on her shoulders and pulling at the fabric"You go out there looking like you just came out of school and gangers are going to be on you like a dragon to treasure. We need something to at least make you look less like a schoolgirl or something."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Hmm...well, my clothes aren't going to fit you, so we're gonna need to buy something small from Jin. Shouldn't be too expensive to get a decent outfit for someone as short as you." She ruffled her hair to try and lighten the mood, "Your hair's fine, you wouldn't be the first one here with weird colors." She licked her lips and took another nervous breath. She wasn't a very good bodyguard so something like this was definitely not her expertise. It would be a miracle if they weren't mugged at least once tomorrow.

Now of course came the harder part.

"We need to give you a gun-"

"Absolutely not." Louise interrupted, her expression aghast.

Robin pinched the bridge of her nose to try and stem the feeling of irritation, "What did I say about following orders?" Louise opened her mouth to say something before she quickly cut her off, "Look, I'm not asking you to start popping heads, but you need something if you wanna walk out there without getting harassed by every damn mugger from here to the end of Seattle. Even a gun in a holster can be enough to tell someone to back the hell off."

"I...well, if you're sure." She bit her lower lip, her hands shaking.

"Trust me, most of these guys talk big but they don't wanna harass someone who looks like they can fight back. The better your gun is the less likely they're gonna try and shake you down so if you go out there with nothing but that stick of yours we're gonna get robbed before we even take a few steps. If we're lucky you won't even have to hold it by the time we get back."

"A-Anything else?"

"Just make sure to stick close to me, okay? Keep an eye out on your surroundings and ignore the catcalls or whatever they try to call you. They're all talk for the most part so don't try anything unnecessary."

"G-Got it." Louise swallowed nervously. Well, it was time for her to see the outside world at last.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the single moon in the night sky.

Louise looked up at the white circle, mouth parted in slight wonder. She'd read about the single moon before in the books...well, it was mentioned briefly, but seeing it herself was another thing entirely. It was so...small compared to the ones from her home. How was the night even bright enough with only that thing keeping them illuminated? Or was that why there were so many lights in the city, because otherwise they would have been smothered in darkness?

"Kid, you there?"

"Hmm?" She blinked and looked to Robin. The older woman was looking at her worriedly, "It's nothing, just...nevermind." She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be discussing the twin moons, "So where are we supposed to go?"

"The docks, it's not too far from here." She nudged her head to the right, "Come on, just stick close and we should be good."

Louise nodded silently and trailer after the Shadowrunner, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her 'jeans'. They didn't have enough money for bulletproof coats or the like so they had to make do with some faded pants, shoes she reffered to as 'sneakers' (were they used for sneaking? They seemed to squeak far too much for that) and a hooded jacket to keep her face hidden. They couldn't change her youthful features but hiding it was better than doing nothing.

She pulled her hood tighter over herself and looked around the slum. The bright neon lights were making her head ache as did the atrocious smell around her. She didn't know how to describe it - It wasn't foul enough to make her vomit, but it was definitely unpleasant all things considered. She wrinkled her nose and coughed, breathing through her mouth and covering her nose with a free hand. The Seamstress Union, for all its smell of alcohol and cheap perfume, was definitely much more tolerable than this.

The people were no better. Many wandered about, a few even manning stalls selling something Robin called 'Donuts and Soykaf' and other assorted foods. Her stomach rumbled at the appetizing smell, "No, not now." She shook her head. Later, when they got paid for this little task.

Her hunger was broken as she caught sight of more people. Beggars sat back against walls, dirty and rough hands raised as they begged for alms. Most ignored them, a few stopping briefly to look at them in pity before going on their way. As Robin had told her no one in the Barrens could afford to be generous; offer someone a hand and they would use theirs to pull you down along with them.

A shiver suddenly ran through her. Looking around frantically, she caught sight of a sneering dwarf looking at her, playing with a knife between his meaty fingers. Sizing her up? She looked to Robin briefly before doing what she was instructed, "Please work..." She pulled up the hem of her jacket, exposing the gun at her side. Robin had assured her that the 'safety was on' and she didn't have to fear shooting herself by accident.

It seemed to work. His sneer was replaced by a scowl and he muttered something to himself before trudging away.

Louise released a held breath and laughed in relief, which drew her companion's attention, "Something funny, Luce?"

"I scared someone off from mugging me...I think." She replied, the smile never leaving her face. It wasn't that she felt proud of threatening violence. but there was a certain confidence that had been instilled now that she knew Robin's instructions were effective.

"Good for you, kid." She grinned and fingered her own gun, something she'd called a 'machine pistol', "Like I said, most of these pricks aren't willing to risk their necks. Chances are if you're here then you're not exactly well-off so it's not worth it if the person you're trying to mug has a gun." She clicked her tongue, "Come on, we're not too far from it now. Once we get it back to Gunderson we can get something to eat."

"Agreed."

The rest of the short trek was more of the same. A few more people stared at them or made disparaging 'invitations', but they weren't willing to push their luck. She wiped the sweat from her neck, the pistol at her side growing heavier with every step. As glad as she was that it acted as a deterrent the metal weapon was still something she would have preferred not to use if it came down to it.

The docks were much less crowded than the streets. Robin gestured for her to keep close as she trudged towards a large metal container of some sort, "Alright, stay here and make sure no one's looking, okay? There's not gonna be any gangers here so it should be safe."

"R-Right." She turned around and let her partner duck into the metal box. Apart from a few workers and what she could assume to be sailors doing their assigned jobs the pier was relatively quiet. She took a deep breath, relishing in being outside the dank streets and getting some relatively fresher air once more. Once Robin got that package they would deliver it and then everything would be alright.

The ships docked in the port reminded her of her home's airships, albeit with more metal and wood. From what she'd managed to read up on them they used a certain substance called 'gasoline' to fuel their movements rather than windstones. Considering they weren't capable of flying - that was another machine entirely they called an 'airplane - she had to consider her homeland's variation to be the superior one.

"I'm back." Robin clapped her shoulder and walked past her in a rush, pressing the package close to her chest. Thankfully no one seemed to notice her bizarre actions and they were able to leave without drawing attention.

"Is that it?" She eyed the brown parcel. She was expecting something more despite Robin's assurances of simplicity, "It's...kinda small."

"What did you expect? They wouldn't be sending a newbie Runner to get something really important, you know. They save those for the better ones." She snorted, "No complaints, right? Any Run that you can do without firing of a single shot is good in my book."

"Agreed." She hummed, hands wringing together nervously. Now all they had to do was go back, "...What's in the package, anyway? It must be something...not exactly legal if they required a third party to pick it up in their stead."

"Frag if I know." She shrugged, "They don't pay me to snoop into the contents and I'm pretty sure losing my payday is the least of my worries if I let my curiosity get the best of me. But hey, if I had to guess I'd have to assume it's drugs or BTL's or something. It could even be weapons for all we know, but I doubt that considering how light it is..." The older woman's lips parted into a grin. Louise suddenly had a bad feeling, "Oh, maybe it's a severed head! I saw this in old trids before; they send you the head of a loved one as a warning if you don't pay back what you owe. That was always a classic."

"Urk!" She used both hands to cover her mouth as the images came to her mind. She couldn't see her reflection right now but she had the distinct feeling she was turning green.

Robin's laughter did little to settle her upset stomach. Glaring at her partner, she muttered a curse under her breath as the Japanese woman made no attempt to stifle her chuckles, "Pftt hahahaha! You should see your face!" She wiped a tear from her eye, "Jeez, I knew you had a weak stomach but really? Didn't they have, I dunno, horror plays where you're from? A little severed head bouncing around in here shouldn't be-"

"Would you _please_ stop talking about it!?" She hissed. It wasn't an image she wanted to keep in her mind, that was for sure.

"Alright, don't get your panties in a bunch." She rolled her eyes, laughter pealing off into an amused smile, "Just wanted to lighten the mood is all. Guess for a moment there I forgot I wasn't talking to another Runner. Sorry, okay? No harm no foul?"

"Whatever." She snapped, "Let's just get back to the Union before I vomit out my lunch."

The rest of the walk was spent in somewhat uncomfortable silence. Robin might not have seen anything wrong with her little 'jest' but she found no amusement in gallows humor. She was certain solders or mercenaries and their like indulged in it but death was something she preferred to not make light of.

Again she felt the weight of the gun on her hip, "No, it's alright. I don't have to use it." She muttered to herself.

Arriving back at the Barrens, Louise's scowl worsened as the faint odor once more assaulted her nostrils. Next time she would pester Robin to buy some perfume or something to wipe away the smell. Brimir knew it was-

"Well, well! Looks like someone's passing by the bridge without paying the toll!"

Louise's head snapped to the source of the voice and she paled. An orc with brightly colored hair blocked their path, his mouth parted into a malevolent grin and exposing his sharpened teeth. Two others of his kind stood behind him silently, both holding onto pistols as well. Heart beating rapidly against her chest, she stuck herself closer to Robin and held onto the back of her jacket. She'd become slightly more accustomed to seeing the other 'metahumans', but the Orcs and Trolls were definitely still intimidating from a purely physical standpoint.

"I didn't realize you owned these streets." Robin spat, eyes narrowing. She didn't miss the way they eyed the package; a rival gang trying to intercept the courier? It wasn't the first time she had to deal with something like this, "Unfortunately for you neither of us brought our wallets so-"

"Oh, it's alright." He stepped closer, his grin widening, "See, I'm a nice guy so I can let you off if you give me that package-"

That was all he managed before Robin unholstered her gun and pressed it against his stomach. On instinct she grabbed her wand and aimed it at the two lackey, which caused them to draw their guns on her in turn. She could see the Orc's grin fading, quickly being replaced by an ugly scowl.

"You have any idea who you're-"

"No, but it's probably either Halloweeners or Screamers; I don't care." She spat, pressing the gun harder against the unarmored flesh, "If you think I'm some stupid courier you can bully into giving this thing up then think again." She forced a smile, "Now, I suggest you and your stooges take a hike before before I lose my patience and empty this entire clip into your fragging stomach."

"You're insane! You kill me and you both die!"

"Yeah, but you'd be dead first, and I get the feeling that you're not the type to put in the sacrifice play. Besides," She gave Louise a sidewards glance, "You're not the one with a Mage as backup, so I think it's safe to say you're outmatched here. So, we gonna forget this ever happened and play nice or you wanna see if I can miss at point blank range?"

If looks could kill then Robin would have long since perished, "Fine, you win this one!" He held up his hands and backed away, his lackeys following his example and lowering their guns, "You just made a big fragging mistake, you hear me!? You better watch your back the next time you walk the streets-"

"You're the third guy who's made that threat, just so you know." Robin pointed out, her gun still trained on him, "Now I suggest you leave before I take my chances and shoot you down right here."

More screaming threats came before the three left, turning the corner with a run. Not wasting any time Robin grabbed Louise's arm and pulled, ducking into the alleys and losing themselves into the winding pathways. Whether his threat was mere bluster or genuine she didn't want to stick around and find out. She didn't feel as confident without her drones, that was for sure.

They didn't stop running until they made it to Gunderson's bar. As dumb as those gangs could be most of them knew better than to shoot up an establishment with a reputation like this; if they came in here guns blazing the patrons would respond in kind.

"Th-That was..." Louise chewed her on lower lip and pulled her hood back, exposing her pink hair for all to see, "I...I wasn't expecting that..." She wiped the sweat from her forehead and gulped nervously. She'd managed to keep herself quiet during the confrontation but she couldn't deny that she felt a certain fear during the entire thing. It was only Robin's presence that hadn't reduced her to begging.

"Yeah, well, comes with the territory." She clapped her shoulder, "You did good, kid. You kept your cool and didn't panic, that's a start." She eyed the wand stuffed clumsily into the pants pocket, "Although next time I'd recommend pulling out your gun since that's kinda what it's for. Trust me in here pointing a 'magic wand' doesn't really do much. Good thing they were dumb enough to buy into the Mage line."

"I...I'll take that into consideration for next time..." She winced. Was she prepared to do this again by acknowledging that there would in fact be a 'next time'? Nothing more than blustering and threats had happened and already she felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest, "I'm just glad we both made it out of there without anyone getting hurt..."

"Yeah, well, if you plan to come along next time then our luck might not hold up." She shrugged, "Look, I'll take this package to Gunderson then we can order something to eat. I wanted to buy you some donuts, but I think we can both agree that staying in here is the better option for now.

"Agreed..."

Hours passed as the two stayed in the bar. Louise contented herself with watching the pixture box mounted on the wall; she had little clue on what the show was about or why that man's tush was getting smacked with a paddle but it distracted her from their current situation.

The bar was quiet, most of the customers eating their meals in silence or nursing drinks. As Robin had assured her Gunderson's establishment was for a more subtle clientele, those who wanted to get away from the loud music and parties of watering holes like the Seamstress Union. She was even tempted to come here again if not for the fact that she would have had to cross the Barrens in order to do so.

The wooden door opening drew her attention. Eyes leaving the television, her mouth parted slightly as she saw Strelok walk inside and converse with the bartender about something she couldn't make out. She saw a credstick exchange hands before he nodded at the Orc and made his way towards them.

"Hey, Strelok, back from a job?" Robin asked casually, her arms crossed. She had no idea what relationship the two shared but it was readily apparent they weren't exactly bosom buddies.

"You could say that." He looked at them both in turn before continuing, "Did you get into a fight with some Halloweeners? When I raided their safe house I heard one of them ranting about a 'black haired bitch and her crazy Mage friend with a stick.' Louise flinched. Oh, they definitely had to watch their backs when they went out there now.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yeah, they tried to steal Gunderson's package." Robin replied, "I can guess by the way you're talking that they died in this little raid of yours, right?"

"It's what the job entailed, so yes. Be more careful next time."

"Aw, I didn't know you cared." She smiled cheekily.

"I don't, but it's harder to sneak into a safehouse when everybody's on edge. I'd rather not have you make my jobs harder." He rummaged in his pockets briefly before pulling out a small piece of machinery, "Anyway, I'm not here to lecture you. Sutherland told me that he had the Trode mesh you ordered ready but you haven't replied to his email yet." He pressed it against the table. Louise couldn't help but stare at the dark material his hands were made of, "Next time check your emails. I'm not your messenger."

"Thanks, Strelok, you're a real sweetheart." She rolled her eyes and pocketed the credstick without another word as Strelok left. Hopefully Sutherland didn't take everything for the Trodes, "Come on, Luce, we need to see a friend of ours."

"Um...is it safe?" She asked warily.

"You heard Strelok, that prick's dead. If there's one thing that drekhead is he's thorough; if he says he's dead then he's dead." She stood up, "Come on, I didn't waste my money for you to chicken out."

"Wh-Where are we going?"

"A friend's shop, an old Decker named Sutherland." She nudged her head to the entrance, "If you're going to be doing this with me again then you need to learn how to use a fragging gun. I wasn't sure about it at first, but you can't be pulling that stick out whenever we get into a fight." She held up her hand before Louise could interrupt, "I know you don't wanna fire the real thing and all, but I have a way to ease you into it."

"A way?" She looked at her with clear doubt written across her face, "What do you mean."

"Well, Luce." She ruffled her hair and smiled, "I think it's time you got introduced to the Matrix."

* * *

 **Just needed a small break from Twisted Reflections. I'll get back to writing that after this.**

 **Bookworm110 - I'll try, but Robin's character is very sweary. I tried to put in some regular swears as well, assuming they didn't get replaced.**

 **BrazeRancor - Harlequin won't appear for a long while because Louise isn't advertising her presence and the UB is keeping a tight lid. I wanna ease into the adventure.**

 **Indecisive Bob - Sadly Stalker Zero got deleted :( Hopefully it comes back up.**

 **Guest - Not likely. The point of Shadowrun is that no matter how badass you get you're still human, unlike other Reverse summon fics where Louise gets Master Chief armor or Plasmids etc etc. Assuming she does go back even if her mentality is different she's not gonna be some glorified badass.**

 **Isamu - I can deal with the vaccines later, or maybe the Halkeginians just have a good immune system; who knows? Anyway, I didn't realize the UB were shoot on sight as of 2056 cause they still had open joining and presence, right? Even in the Returns series they were able to sweep their indecencies under the rug and while Runners might be able to pick something off about them the average citizen probably wouldn't. Robin does say they'll shoot if they act threateningly but most Runners aren't the type to shoot for no reason.**

 **I'm not the foremost expert on Shadowrun lore, so any help would be appreciated :)**


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